Glareshield



Sept. 16 1924.

. 4 1,508,530- G. w. POWELL ET AL GLARESHIELD I Filed Dec. 8,1923 2Sheets-Sheet. l

Sept. 16, 1924. 1,508,530

G. W. POWELL ET AL GLARESHIELD Filed Dec. s, 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet. 2

Patented Sept. 16, 1924.

UNITED STATES 1,508,530 PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE -W. POWELL, JOSEPH L. SMITH, AND HOWARD E. DIXON, OF LA GRANDE,

. a OREGON.

GLARESHIELD.

Application filed December 8, 1923. Serial No, 679,484.

To all whom it concern:

Be it known that we, GEORGE W. POWELL,

JOSEPH L. SMITH, and HOWARD E. DIXON,-

citizens of the United States, residin at La Grande, in the county ofUnion an State of Oregon, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Glareshields, of which the following is a specification,reference being had to the accompanying drawlngs.

This invention relates to improvements in glareshields for automobileheadlights and more'particularly to a device of this character adaptedto be arranged interiorly of the headlight.

An important object of the invention is to provide a device of thischaracter which, while eliminating all direct rays from the lamp whichpass upwardly or horizontally through the lens of the headlight, permitsrefracted rays of the parabolic reflector usually employed to pass fromthe lamp to illuminate the road.

' A further object of the invention is to provide a glare shield of thischaracter of such construction that the shield does not form a dead spotat the upper surface of the lens, where such shields are usuallyprovided, but is soconstructed that it actually permits filtration ofrays therethrough for illumination of the road.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device of thischaracter which may be very readily applied to standard constructions ofheadlights without in any manner interfering with the normal operationof the headlight;

These and other obg'ects we attain by theconstruction shown 11 theaccompanying drawings, wherein for the purpose of illustration is showna preferred embodiment 0 our invention and wherein Figure 1 is avertical sectional view through a headlight embodying a glare shieldconstructed in accordance with our invention Figure 2 is a perspectiveof the glare shield removed;

Figure 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Figure 5, illustrating the factthat the shield permits the passage of refracted light;

Figure 4 is a view of the shield looking upwardly and forwardly from thepoint of location of the headlight filament this view illustrating thefact that the plates completely out ofi all direct rays of the filamentfrom the lens; and

Figure 5 is a rear elevation of the headlight rim and lens removed,showing the shield applied thereto. Referring now more particularly tothe drawings, the numeral 10"indicates the casing of a headlight, 11"the usual parabolic reflector disposed therein, 12 the illuminatingelement bulb, 13 the lens attaching rim,

and 14 the lens shown in the present instance as consisting of asheet ofclear glass although it will be readily understood that the device maybe applied to those headlights whieh' depend upon their construction forthe refraction of rays in such manner as to not provide a glaring light..In the usual construction of the headlight. rim and lens, the internaldiameter of the rim 1s slightly less than the external diameter of theheadlight lens, so that the edges of the lens project beyond the inneredges of the rim and is held in position by means of clips 15'0r thelike carried by the rim engaging the inner faces of the lens. .As w llhereinafter appear, we employ these clips as a means for holding inposition the glare shield constructed in accordance with our invention.

- The glare shield proper'consists of two plates16 and 17, hereinafterreferred to as the upper and lower plates, these lates com- "bining whenviewed from the point of location of thefilament of the lamp to rovide atriangle efi'ectually cutting off al view of the edges of the lens asinner edge of the lens run. 13. The n per and lower plates 16 and 17 are1ncl1 ne 1nwardly from the face of the lens, the lnclination beingupwardly and outwardly from this lens, the plates being in substantiallyparallel planes. The uppenplate 16 1s rovided with a terminal portion 18who is arcuately curved and overhangs the lower plate 17. This upperplate is substantially triangular in form. The lower plate is 1n theform of a triangle having an arcuate' segment removed from the u perangle thereof, this arcuate se ent aligning with the curved extension 0the upper late. 16

and provided in the up er edge of t is lower efined by the [ill whichextension lies at the approximate center of the lens when the device isin applied position and efiectually prevents direct rays from theilluminating element 12 from pass= ing from the casing. These plates areeach provided at their ends with extensions 21 by means of which theyare attached to an annulus 22 having an internal diameter substantiallyequal to the internal diameter of the lens, as defined by the lens rim,and an external diameter substantially equaling the true diameter of thelens. lhis annulus is placed against the inner face of the lens and isincluded in the clips 15 when the same are employed to fasten the lensin posi tion in the rim.

By comparative inspection of Figures 5 and at, which latter figure is arear elevation of the lens taken from a point approximating the filamentof the illuminating element, it will be seen that it is. impossible fordirect rays from the lamp to pass through the lens ifsuch rays are at anangle which permit these rays to blind the operators of oncomingvehicles, it being understood that the lower edge of the lower plate 17is arranged at a point upon the lens to intersect such blinding rays.This comparison will further show that the combination of the plates 16and 1'? will permit refracted rays from the filament to pass from theheadlight, this detail being more clearly shown in Figure 3. lit will.however. be obvious that since in order to pass these plates the raysmust come into contact with the parabolic reflector, these rays will becorrected and will issue from the headlight in approximately straightline so that they will not cause discomfort to the operators of othervehicles.

Attention is now directed particularly to Figure 1. lln this figure wehave illustrated a vertical sectional view through the headlight takenthrough the plates 16 and 1-? approximately centrally thereof. From thisfigure it will be obvious that while direct rays are etlectually cut offby the plates 16 and 17, at the same time in the space between the pointof attachment of the plate 16 and the point of attachment of the plate1'? a space is left through which rays may be deflected. Rays aredeflected through this opening by reason of the fact that the notchingof the upper end of the plate 17 exposes a considerable portion of theplate 16 to view and by reason of the fact that the inner face of theplate 16 and outer face of the plate 17 are highly polished as islikewise the inner face of the plate 17. It will be seen. that forwardlydirected rays reflected by the reflector 11 of the headlight strikingagainst the plate 16 will be deflected downwardly against the outer faceof the plate 17 and that from this plate they will be again thrownforwardly through the headlight lens.

neoaseo The curved terminal portion 18 of the plate 16 serves to deflecta ortcion of the direct rays from the bulb or il uminating element 12against the outer face of the plate 17 so that they likewise passthrough the opening. It will be noted that these rays in theirdeflection from the plate 17 are inclined downwardly toward the groundand accordingly will not be dazzling.

From the foregoing it is believed to be obvious that when provided witha glare shield constructed in accordance with our invention a headlightwill be free from glaring direct rays which tend to confuse the driversof oncoming vehicles. lt will turthermore be obvious that theconstruction of the device is capableof a considerable range of changeand modification without materially departing from the spirit of ourinvention and we accordingly do not limit ourselves to such specificstructure as hereinbefore set forth except as hereinafter claimed.

We claim 1. The combination with a headlight embodying the usualilluminating element, parabolic reflector and lens, of a glare preventerarranged within the headlight at the upper portion of the lens thereofintercepting upwardly inclining direct rays from the illuminatingelementto prevent their pas sage through the lens but permitting the passage ofretracted rays about the edges thereof, said glare prevent/er comprisingspaced upper and lower plates arranged above the horizontal plane of theheadlight illuminating element, the ortions of the plates adjacent thelens being spaced, one of said plates being positioned to reflect lightfrom the headlight illuminating element upon the other of the plates forrefraction thereby through such space.

2. The combination with a headlight embodying the usual illuminatingelement parabolic reflector and lens, of a glare preventer arrangedwithin the headlight at the upper portion of the lens thereofintercepting upwardly inclining direct rays from the illuminatingelement to prevent their passage through the lens but permitting thepassage of refracted rays about the edges thereof, said glare preventercomprising spaced upper and lower plates arranged above the horizontalplane of the headlight illuminating element having their adjacent faceshighly polished to form reflectors, one of said plates being positionedto reflect light from the headlight illuminating element upon the otherof the plates for refraction thereby through such space.

3. The combination with a headlight embodying the usual illuminatingelement, parabolic reflector and lens, of a glare preventer arrangedwithin the headlight at the till I upper portion of the lens thereofinterceptclining upwardly ing upwardly inclining direct rays from theilluminatin element to prevent their passage throug the lens butpermitting the passage of refracted rays about the edges thereof, saidglare preventer comprising spaced upper and lower plates arranged abovethe horizontal plane of the headlight illuminating element affording aspace therebetween at the lens for the passage of light through thelens, one of said plates being positioned to reflect direct light fromthe headlight -illuzninating element and light from the illuminatingelement refracted by the reflector upon the other of the plates forrefraction thereby through such space.

4:. The combination with a headlight ems bodying the usual, illuminatingelement parabolic reflector and len's,'of a glare preventer arrangedwithin the headlight at the upper portion of the lens thereofintercepting upwardlv inclining direct rays from the illuminatingelement to prevent their passage through the lens but. permitting thepassage of refracted rays about the edges thereof, said glare preventercomprising spaced upper and lower plates affording therebetween a spacepermittin' passage of rays throughthe headlight, sa1d plates inandrearwardly and havingadjacentfaces thereof highly polished,

one of said lates having an angular portion reflectin the headlightillumithe other of the plates light from nating e ement upon forrefraction thereby through such space.

5. The combination with a headlight embodying. the usual illuminatingelement, parabolicfreflector and lens, of a glare-preventer arrangedwithin the headlight at the upper portion of the lens thereofintercepting upwardly inclining direct rays from the illuminatingelement to prevent their passage throu h the lens but permitting thepassage of re racted rays about the edges thereof,

said glare preventercomprising spaced upper and lowerplates affordingtherebetween a space permitting passage of rays through the headlight,said plates inclining upwardly and rearwardly and having adjacent facesthereof highly polished, one of said plates having a portion reflectinlight from the headlight illuminating e ement upon the other of therebythrough such space, and other portions reflecting refracted light fromthe headlight reflector upon such other plate for refraction throughsuch'space.

6. The combination with a headlight embodying the usual illuminatingelement, parabolic reflector and lens, of. a glare preventer arrangedwithin the headlight at the upper portion of the lens thereofintercepting upwardly inclining direct rays from the illuminatingelement to prevent their passage through the lens but permitting thepassage of refracted raysabout the edges thereof, said' lare preventercomprising spaced upper and lower plates affording In testimony vwhereof we hereunto affix our signatures.

GEORGE W. POWELL. JOSEPH L. SMITH. HOWARD E. DIXON.

the plates for refraction 7 light

